Diary 14 September
2009.
When I first entered Parliament there was no
Sure Start and no Children’s Centres. In many parts of the Country
free nursery provision started for the one term before youngsters
started full school.
There was no Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit was roughly half
what it is now. There
were no Baby Bonds, no formal paternity leave, no right for young
parents to ask for flexible working and maternity leave was a
fraction of what is now. We have come a long way in
eleven years but there is much more to be done and I want to hear
from parents about their priorities.
In the coming weeks I will be meeting with
parents and carers of young children across Redditch. In a series of informal meetings
at local Children’s Centres I will be hearing about the challenges
that young families are facing, setting out the sort of help that
is available now and asking what could be done better. It will also be a chance for
individuals to raise any other issue with me.
I was
delighted last week that the government is taking action in
Redditch to highlight the sort of help that is available to
homeowners at risk of repossession. There are great sources of help
and advice available at our courts and through the CAB and I would
urge anyone in trouble not to hide their heads in the sand but to
take the advice that is at hand. A good place to start is
www.direct.gov.uk/mortgagehelp.
On Monday I met with the Disabled Access Group
at the Town Hall. I
visit them regularly to hear of their concerns. This week it is a mixture of
government action to improve access to care and who controls the
funds to pay for it coupled with concerns about local services,
roads and pavements.
They are always interesting meetings that, I hope, both sides find
useful.
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